He added that it is a privilege to represent the Frankston community and the Victorian Parliament and he wants to assure the people of Frankston that he will continue to work hard in their interests.

But state opposition Leader Daniel Andrews has called on Premier Denis Napthine to answer for what he calls a "shameful mess".

"Denis Napthine is the Premier because of Geoff Shaw. The Government is only in power because of Geoff Shaw," he said.

Guilty verdict could trigger by-election

Shaw will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 8.

If found guilty of obtaining financial advantage by deception, he could face up to 10 years in jail. He would no longer be able to hold his seat, triggering a by-election.

Nick Economou, a senior politics lecturer at Monash University, says that may be a good thing for the Liberals, who could win a seat back rather than relying on Shaw for the balance of power.

"It would also give the Liberal Party the opportunity to test a couple of things that are happening in the debate at the moment: in particular, the Labor Party is backing itself into an anti-East West freeway link position, and that would be an opportunity for both major parties to test what the electoral response to that major infrastructure project would be," he said.

"But yes, I think that the Liberals would be quite sanguine about Mr Shaw being forced to vacate the seat.

"[But] we should also remember the presumption of innocence, that Mr Shaw has only been charged, he hasn't been convicted.

"This is a matter to be tested in the courts and he is innocent until proven guilty, and so there's no reason why he should not continue to serve as the member for Frankston."

The Victorian Parliament's Privileges Committee held a closed hearing to deal with the allegations against Mr Shaw last week. It is unclear when it will release its findings.